Wexford County Council has granted planning permission to Yamille Ltd for a 19-apartment expansion at Key West in Wexford Town.
The planning application sought change of use of existing first and second-floor vacant commercial premises, formerly retail storage space for the long-closed Argos and SuperValu stores, into 10 two-bedroom and three one-bedroom apartments. It also proposed a new third-floor extension consisting of five two-bedroom and one one-bedroom apartment.
The Key West complex consists of approximately 40 apartments with views over Wexford Harbour. Properties there have recently commanded prices of more than €200,000.
Planning conditions require the developer to obtain written agreement from the planning authority on final details of external finishes, upgrade the condition of the existing building, and submit a construction management plan minimising adverse impacts on existing residents.
Wexford County Council planners had set a provisional decision date of 14 July for the application before granting approval.
Existing residents of Key West and the property management company Robore Management Ltd lodged objections against the development. A letter signed by 10 residents stated the proposed third-storey extension would “directly overlook existing residential units and communal garden areas,” resulting in “a significant loss of privacy,” “intrusion into communal amenity spaces,” and “overshadowing of the garden and surrounding units.”
Residents also raised concerns that the plan seeks to increase capacity without adequate consideration of circulation and escape routes, stating narrow hallways and exits are not designed to accommodate increased occupancy levels.
Robore Management Ltd said the application failed to demonstrate that the proposed development could be accommodated without “adverse impact on existing residential amenity.” The company said that the apartments represented “an over-intensification of development within a confined courtyard setting.”
Residents and the management company now have four weeks to decide whether to appeal the council’s decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála.
The developers behind the Key West expansion have previously faced controversy over their housing practices. Sinnott and Grant were at the centre of a dispute in late February 2026 when their company Patchflow Ltd issued eviction notices to 36 households in the Hazelwood Estate in Bridgetown, affecting around 100 residents. The noticed were served two days before new national rental protections came into force on 1 March 2026.
The story received significant media attention and drew condemnation from government politicians.
Housing Minister James Browne was forced to deny any personal connection to Sinnott after it was suggested they knew each other, and the Residential Tenancies Board wrote to Patchflow Ltd reminding them of their obligations under the Tyrrellstown Amendment. After a week of backlash, Patchflow Ltd withdrew the eviction notices.